Thai Red Curry with Flavoured Rice: Valentine's Day Special:

Thai Red Curry with Flavoured Rice

Valentine's Day is special day where the more you express your love you only get more in return. For me food is the best way to express my love. I believe that if you cook with love, love in return will show up on content faces.

Since Valentine's Day is all about the colour red, a red main course is a perfect theme. Thai Red Curry is my pick for a perfect Valentines's day dinner or lunch.

 If you use a ready made red curry paste this is an easier recipe. But I like to put in some more effort and prepare the red curry paste at home!!!!

Ingredients

Red curry paste

Medum onions: 1

Lemon Grass: 1 stalk

Kafir lime leaf:1 

Dry Red chillies: 5-6 soaked in warm water for an hour

Garlic: 3-4 cloves

Galangal /ginger: 1/2 an inch

Coriander stems: 1 tsp chopped 

White/Black pepper: 1 tsp

Dark soy sauce: 3 tsp

Sugar: 1 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp

Roasted coriander seeds: 1 tsp

Thai Curry

Chicken boneless 500 gms

Mushrooms 5-6 nos

Cherry tomatoes 5-6 nos

Bell Peppers (Green, Yellow Red); 1/2 cup cubed

Red Curry Paste 3-4 tsp

Coconut Milk: 1 cup

Garlic: 2-3 nos
Soy Sauce: 1 tbsp

Lemon Grass: 1 Stalk
Kafir Lime Leaf: 1 
Basil: a handful

Oil: 2 tbsps
Salt:as per taste

* For Vegetarians omit the chicken 
** Veggies can be of your choice omit or add whichever veggies you like!!!


Flavoured Rice

Basmati Rice: 1 cup
Water: 1 1/2 cups 
Star Anise: 1-2 nos
Garlic: 2-3 nos chopped
Cinnamon: 1/2 inch
Black Pepper: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Salt: As per taste

Method

Red Curry Paste

• Soak dry red chillies in warm water for about an hour.
• Grind all the red curry ingredients into a fine paste. 
• Incase you wish to store this for later add in salt and deep freeze upto a week.

Thai Red Curry

• Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan
• Add garlic, kafir lime leaf, a  handful of chopped basil leaves when the garlic is slightly browned stir in the soy sauce and a spoonful red curry paste 
• Add the chicken and let this cook till the chicken is well done. Keep aside
• Saute the vegetables with garlic soy sauce and red curry paste. Don't over cook the vegetables just until they are blended with the sauce.
• Pour the coconut milk and let this cook on low heat for 2-3 mins.
• Add salt as per taste. Garnish with Basil leaves.

Flavoured Rice

• Wash the basmati rice and soak it for 15 mins.
• In a thick bottomed vessel heat oil add the spices and rice. Saute for a minute.
• Add Hot water and salt
• Cook till the rice is done!!!!

Enjoy!!!!

Strawberry -Banana Smoothie: Valentine's Day Special

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

To all the men, make your woman feel special on valentine's day. Whip up a smoothie for breakfast and you are sure to earn some brownie points, to start of a beautiful day!!!

Ingredients: 

Strawberry: 5-6
Ripe Bananas: 1-2
Low fat milk: 1 cup 
Instant Oats: 2 tbsp
Crushed almonds: 1 tbsp
Cinnamon powder: 1/4 tsp
Whipped Cream: for garnish


Method

• Dry Roast the oats for a minute.
• Powder the oats and the almonds.
• In a Blender mix together all the ingredients and blend.
• Serve with whipped cream.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie is ready to be served!!!!

Try making a simple sunny side up and Bread slices toasted with a little olive oil!!!!

Make your Valentine's Morning Bright!!!!

Creamy Caramel Custard: Valentine's Day Special for your partner

Valentine Day, brings with it so much love, Love for our loved ones, Love for shopping, Love for gifting and moreover that extra effort we put to make this day extra special for our loved ones. Apart from the shopping, gifting the most crucial part of a good time is enjoying a meal with your loved one, Extra brownie points if you cook up a meal for them. So this series will have a few recipes that need minimal effort yet it will make that little effort extra special for you!!!!!

These recipes are fairly simple, so to the guys too try them for your beloved I am sure she will like it :) 

Lets get started with the first recipe of this series.

 Creamy Caramel Custard. 

Caramel custard, also known as flan or crème caramel. 

Ingredients

Caramel:

Granulated Sugar: 150 gms

Water

Custard

Condensed Milk: 1 can (approximately 400gms, per can)

Full Fat Whole Milk: 2 cans ( I use the condensed milk can to measure)

Eggs: 3 nos ( at room temperature)

Vanilla extract: 1 tsp

Nutmeg: 1/4 tsp

Garnish

Strawberries: 7-8

Sugar: 50 gms

Water: 100 ml

Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp

Method

Caramel: 

• In a saucepan add sugar and let this dissolve on low heat, Keep stirring occasionally this process will ensure that the heat is evenly distributed.
•  When the mixture dissolve and turns golden in color add little water to avoid the caramel from burning. 
• The sauce will start to boil, when it is golden brown turn of the heat
• Pour the hot caramel in the ramekins or the baking pan and coat all the sides of the pan by turning pan. 
• Keep the pans aside. 

* While handling caramel, don't check with your bare fingers, A Caramel burn can be very nasty

Custard:

• Preheat the oven at 160°C
• Boil milk and let it cool to room temperature.
• In a huge bowl mix milk, condensed milk, eggs, vanilla extract and nutmeg
• Use a blender to mix these ingredients together. Making a creamy frothy mixture
• Pass this mixture through a sieve and pour in the caramel coated ramekins or the baking pan. 
• Place this ramekins or baking pan in a water bath* and cover the ramekins with aluminium foil.
• Bake for an hour or until a knife comes out clean.
• Refrigerate for 6 hrs
• Run a knife around the edges of the ramekin and demould

*Water Bath: A Water bath is a bigger baking tray which is half filled with hot water. The purpose of a water bath is to ensure that the heat is uniformly distributed and the custard cooks slowly.

Garnish

•  In a sauce pan heat sugar and water and make a consistent sugar syrup, add halved strawberries. Let this mixture sit for half n hour.
• Strain the mixture.
• Decorate with strawberries. 

Wonderful dessert for Valentines Day!!!!!